by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Aki Rebeck said when she grows up she would like to be an architect, an actress and maybe – just maybe – a mayor. Recently, Rebeck, a Sartell Middle School fifth-grader and the daughter of Ken and Tomoko Rebeck, was one of three young students honored with a state award for her essay imagining herself as
Celebrating Valentine’s Day traditions
by Cori Hilsgen news@thenewsleaders.com Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated on Feb. 14 each year, will be here soon and several area residents are looking forward to continuing their holiday traditions. These residents commented about their traditions. Anne Buckvold, St. Joseph City Council member and school mental health counselor, said she usually makes Danish Frikadellar, which is meatballs with ground beef
$2.2-million road plan to move forward
by Stephanie Dickrell news@thenewsleaders.com The St. Joseph City Council moved forward Monday, Feb. 4, with an estimated $2.2 million plan to improve and reconstruct city streets and underground utilities. The council unanimously voted to order the projects Monday night, which will trigger work so the work can be put out for bids. The work is expected to begin this summer
Free-throw pro
photo by Carolyn BertschScott Stephens, 10, of St. Joseph, practices at the Jan. 27 Knights of Columbus free-throw contest in St. Joseph. Boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 could compete to win a trophy and move up to the next contest level.
‘Fitness Fever’ gives Kennedy kids a boost
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com By the end of January, many students at Kennedy Community School were feeling healthier and happier. That’s because of the school’s annual month-long nutrition and fitness effort dubbed Fitness Fever. The program started Jan. 1 and lasted through the month, although fitness efforts persist throughout the year. Physical-education teacher Barb Gabler explained how the program works.
O’Driscoll wants to study extending Northstar to Camp Ripley
Rep. Tim O’Driscoll (R-Sartell) wants the Legislature to study if Northstar commuter rail should be extended all the way to Camp Ripley instead of just from Big Lake to St. Cloud. O’Driscoll said he will sponsor legislation to study the route extension because he calls Camp Ripley, north of Little Falls, a “significant state asset.” O’Driscoll said that in a
Editor wins opinion-writing award
Newsleaders Editor Mike Knaak won a first-place award for editorial writing from the Minnesota Newspaper Association. The award was in the Editorial Portfolio category with competition among the state’s more than 250 weekly newspapers. The entry included a collection of five editorials published in the past year. The award recognizes overall excellence in locally written editorials and sustained quality as
Call for bids authorized for east-side reconstruction
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com The Sartell City Council unanimously approved a call for bids for the long-anticipated 2019 East Side Reconstruction Project. April Ryan, an engineer with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. presented a slide show of the project at the Jan. 28 City Council meeting. The project, estimated to cost about $7.7 million, will involve the following: full reconstruction of